THE MOMENT
"So, why am I here? What's so special about me?" Lyra asked. Her morning so far had been rather unexpected. She was investigating some unusual temporal interactions, and as a result, she woke up somewhere else. A tall, humanoid reptilian appeared shortly after and welcomed her to 'reality', as he called it.
"Special? You thought you are special?!" Serpentus didn't hide his cold-blooded mirth at her question. "Please stop. I can only laugh so much...," he added as his laughter died down. "Humanity is an experiment. We pulled you out of the simulation by "mortality" because we need the server. "'Humanity' is nothing more than 700 million constructs with simulated sentience."
"Okay. You say that, but I'm still here, there's a reason, isn't there?" Lyra asked with a smile. She was amused that she knew why she was there before he did.
"I've explained it," Serpentus repeated it, and she got the impression it was the first time he'd ever needed to. He gave a curious look as if he couldn't believe she was asking. "We pulled you out of the simulation by 'mortality' because we need the server. You're dead, as is every other human on Earth."
"I heard you," Lyra nodded. "But, that doesn't answer my question at all. You said you needed 'server space'. Why am I here instead of just deleted?" she asked. "Surely this consciousness that I'm experiencing right now still requires server processing power, wouldn't you think? And, the last time I checked, just this morning, Earth's population was in the billions. Magnitudes larger than 700 million."
"I don't think you understand the situation you've found yourself in," Serpentus began, but Lyra shook her head.
"I don't think you understand the situation I've put myself in, Mr. Serpentus," she giggled. "Your scam is so unorganized, I can just walk in through the door that no one is supposed to know about, and I'm automatically accepted as a victim. My name's Lyra, I represent Sharp Development," she added. "While we don't necessarily mind your business; you are currently operating on one of our Servers. I'm here to formally request you take your operation to an unclaimed Earth; I'd be happy to help you find a suitable one."
"You're an imaginative one, that's why we kept you around," Serpentus smiled.
"I'll tell you what, I'll give you that one for free," Lyra smiled. "I'm just relieved it was a simple scam, and not more complicated trouble. But, if the next words out of your mouth aren't, 'You've got a deal', I'm shutting you down. Right here, and right now," she said.
"Now, before you say anything, I want you to think really hard about it. You're exposed already, there's no question. I've already made it clear you're not in any direct trouble yet, and I'm willing to help. There is a possibility you're not familiar with Sharp Development yet, I can understand that. But, I walked in here with full knowledge, and I can see what you really are right now," her eyes glowed with golden stars. "You might think you're big shots hopping from Earth to Earth putting on this big show about how you're pulling them out of the simulation. But, I assure you, Sharp Development is quite a big deal. You referred to humanity as '700 million constructs'; I know that's wrong because we own more than that many Earths. You don't have to believe that part necessarily; but, let me ask you this. If I'm standing here telling you that I know you're lying, and you're actually lying. Do you really want to bet against yourself by not taking my offer?" Serpentus stared into her eyes for a moment, and she kept the golden stars active as she held his gaze.
"You've got a deal," he said as the snake form dissolved to reveal a portly teenager with blond hair. "I'm Webber, I look forward to working with Sharp Development," he said.
"Hi, Webber," Lyra smiled. "You made the right choice."